‘Make in Odisha’ shines! Top apparel, textile companies keen to invest crores in the state

Speakers during the session ‘Odisha as a Hub for Value Added Textiles’ during Make in Odisha (MIO) Conclave

More than 15 Indian textile and apparel companies have showed interest to invest over Rs. 550 crore in Odisha and create around 18,000 jobs. To mention few, Aditya Birla Fashion (Pantaloons) will invest Rs 66 crore in the state. India’s number one exporter Shahi exports will invest another Rs 51 crore as part of its expansion plan in Odisha, creating jobs for around 2,500 people. Both the companies already have their factories in the state.

The state government has confirmed that Wild Lotus Fashion will also invest Rs 20 crore to set up its garment factory.

These companies shared their interest during the second edition of the Make in Odisha (MIO) Conclave organized at Bhubaneswar from 11-15 November.

Industrialists from across the country and globe participated, and pledged an investment of worth Rs. 4,19,574 crore across 15 sectors, with aims to create up to 5,91,000 additional jobs. As Odisha is also focusing on apparel manufacturing with industry-friendly policies and many apparel manufacturers are putting their factories, the event had a dedicated session ‘Odisha as a Hub for Value Added Textiles’ too which was addressed by many well-known experts of the industry as well as the state government officials.

Apart from textile companies investing, three textile parks will also come up in the state at Dhamnagar, Chhatabar and Ramdaspur areas with 250, 65 and 250 acres of land, respectively.

Sunil Shewakramani, ED, Indian subcontinent, Li and Fung (India)

Sunil Shewakramani, ED, Indian subcontinent, Li and Fung (India) informed, “We also believe in the digital revolution. Everything is on the smartphones, and you don’t need to go out for anything. That is the future we’re working towards.”

H.K.L Magu, MD, Jyoti Apparels & Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council congratulated Odisha for being such great hosts and creating such an event. He said that our generation is fortunate to witness such a flourishing partnership between the govt and its people. He told Apparel Resources that AEPC has invited state officials to their head office at Gurgaon. They also plan to hold a workshop so more and more exporters of Delhi-NCR can be motivated to start factories in Odisha. “Enough skill labour is there; power and minimum wage are also less compared to many other apparel manufacturing hubs. Artwork of the state is also very good so apparel manufacturers have good opportunities there to start operation in the state.”

Shishir Jaipuria, CEO, Ginni Filaments Ltd, Sanjay Jain, MD, TT Ltd. and Chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI) also shared that Odisha’ ‘friendly people’ have made the state an investor-friendly destination.

An incentive of Rs 1,500 per worker per month, 20 per cent (up to Rs 20 crore) of the overall project cost for apparel parks, and interest-free loan up to 10 per cent of the project cost, are three major steps the state government has decided to take, in order to attract investment in the textile and apparel sector.

International fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra also shared that he would love to work with Odisha artisans as there is a demand for the state textiles and handloom in foreign countries. He showcased his Fall 2018 collection at the event.

Lubaina Shahpurwala, Co-Founder, Mustang Socks and Accessories

Addressing another session Lubaina Shahpurwala, Co-Founder, Mustang Socks and Accessories shared, “Work never differentiates between genders. I’m standing here because of my hard work. With that you can move ahead.”

Sarada Muraleedharan, DG, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) who headed the Kudumbashree mission of the Government of Kerala also addressed this session and said that Kudumbashree is a testament to women power. Similarly, Odisha also has several women-led initiatives at every level that works towards community development.

Snehangini Chhuria, Minister of Handloom, Textiles & Handicrafts, Odisha highlighted the handloom strength of Odisha and said that the state has 40,000 handloom weavers producing world-famous textiles like tie and dye. Shubha Sarma, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Dept, Odisha discussed opportunities, the state offers in the sector.

Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary of Industries Department, Odisha was very happy with the overwhelming response of the event. “The focus of the conclave was not to just propel the industrial development further but to also provide a platform for the stakeholders to engage with the State Government, to deliberate on the next phase of overall socio-economic growth of the state,” he said.